According to a Taliban spokesperson on Thursday, the group’s leadership was unaware that Ayman al-Zawahiri was present in Kabul and that the Taliban were looking into a U.S. claim that he was killed in a U.S. drone strike there.
The largest blow to the extremists since Osama bin Laden was assassinated more than ten years ago came on Sunday when Zawahiri was killed by a missile fired from a drone while he was standing on a balcony at his hideout in Kabul, according to U.S. authorities.
Suhail Shaheen, a Doha-based Taliban representative to the UN, told media in a message that ‘the government and the leadership was not aware of what is being said, nor was there any trace there.’
He stated that an investigation was currently being conducted to determine the validity of the accusation and that the findings would be made public.
Regarding the Sunday drone hit, Taliban commanders have mainly kept quiet and have not acknowledged Zawahiri’s presence in Kabul or his demise.
According to three Taliban sources, senior Taliban figures have been debating how to react to the American drone strike for some time.
As the Taliban seek international recognition and access to billions of dollars in frozen accounts after defeating a U.S.-backed government a year ago, how they respond might have a big impact.
One of the most sought-after persons in the world, Zawahiri is an Egyptian doctor who had a key role in the attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001.
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